A Simple Haircut
by HoneyFlower15
Summary: Momo has been feeling down ever since the War but she doesn't want to worry the others. She goes to the human world to sort out her feelings and meets with Ichigo. Hitsugaya sees them and believes that the two have feelings for each other. Will this misunderstanding be what they need to confess their feelings or will it make the distance between them grow even bigger? HitsuHina
1. Chapter 1

The sun was shining bright that day in the Soul Society but Momo couldn't bring herself to enjoy the warm rays as much as a she wanted to. She was sitting alone in the office, her Captain off at a meeting and had assigned her to finish up the reports from yesterday but she had already finished that and the rest of the paperwork nearly an hour ago. She was on the floor, perched up against the open window with one hand resting against her cheek. It had a little over a year since the winter war and everyone was moving on with their lives. She however felt like she was stuck. For the better part of the year she had been in recovery in both the Twelfth and Fourth Divisions. There was a scar right over her heart, it was amazing that there wasn't more damage but Unohana was incredible when it came to healing. Somehow she made the scar that she originally had shrink down in size to the point it could only be seen if she was naked. That made her glad and lifted some of the worry off her chest. She had been worried that if the others had seen the scar they would feel responsible. She already knew Hitsugaya did.

She could still the remember when she had first woken up from her coma. The expression he had shown her burned into her memory. It had been nighttime when she woke up, the moon was shining bright that night and was the only light in the room. She could remember how heavy her body felt and the pain that came if she moved to suddenly. Believing she was the only one in the room she had closed her eyes to go back to sleep when she heard the soft snores of someone resting beside her. Looking over to her side she saw Hitsugaya resting there, his head resting in his arms right next to hers. His mouth slightly open and soft snores coming out of his tired form. The expression he had on his sleeping face made her at want to laugh but the soft gesture caused her pain and instead of a laugh she let out a pained cough. Somehow that had woken him up and he seemed surprised to see her awake. He didn't do anything after that, just standing there and staring down at her with shock written all over his face and an emotion that was in his eyes that she couldn't explain. She offered him a tired smile, hoping it would calm things down but it had not caused the reaction she thought it would. He embraced her in a gentle hug but at the same time held her in a tight grip. His form was shaking and it didn't take her long to realize he was crying. She was in shock, having only seen him cry once in all the years they had known each other. She herself wanted to cry but she held it in and instead resting on hand on his hand and called him by the beloved nickname she had given him a long time ago. He had stayed with her for a few moments, crying away into her shoulder and her stroking his soft white hair. After he had composed himself they talked before she fell back into a state of unconscious. She hadn't even realized she had fallen back asleep until she woke up again that morning to a smiling Unohana.

Placing a hand over her chest she thought of the terrible wounds she had received. She had been used as a dummy while everyone had been tricked into attacking her. She had nearly lost her life and she was told there was a time when they had to restitute her back to life. The wound caused her a lot of internal damage and even caused problems for her psyche. When she first awoken it took her a while to face those that attacked her without looking fearful. She knew it was not their fault but she couldn't help the fear that would crept up on her when she saw them and their Zanpakuto. They all frightened her for a time. All but Hitsugaya. She thought of her childhood friend and wished that things between them would be different. She held no blame for his actions and he was the only one she could face without looking scared. To others it may seem strange that the one who caused her the most psychical damage is the one she doesn't fear. But she could never be scared of him, no matter what he did. But even if she didn't hold any ill feelings towards him it was obvious that he had them for himself. There were many times when she caught the look of guilt in his eyes when he watched her become tired from training. It wasn't his fault that her body was weak. She had been asleep for a very long time and her body was still adjusting to the old routine of working and training every day. She told him on countless occasions that she was fine and he shouldn't blame himself but that didn't seem to help. It wasn't until he returned from his mission from the World of The Living did he begin to go back to his personality. She had been so happy to see the look of guilt had begun to disappear from his gaze.

She had been so glad to see him return to his old self but she could tell that he was still unhappy because she herself wasn't happy. This didn't help their relationship and if anything it only made things awkward. When they were alone together they were awkward silences that would have never appeared before. Neither knowing what to say or what not to say. They had been placed in a situation that neither knew how to get out of. She let out a low sigh, knowing that this was her fault. If only she could get out of her slump then maybe her best friend wouldn't be so depressed.

"Wow, that sounds like a really depressing sigh."

She gasped when she heard her Captain's voice, quickly spinning around to face him but let out a surprised yelp when she saw his face was only inches away from her. She backed up from the shock and winced when her head hit the windowsill. "Captain Hirako, I asked you not to do that."

Shinji Hirako, he had been placed in charge of his former division not to long after the war. It took the members of Squad Five to get used to him but after a while everyone seemed to trust and respect him. Even Momo had come to look up to him but she just wished he would stop sneaking up on her. "Stupid, who told you to jump back like that." He rubbed her head in a comforting manner.

Momo pouted, "I only did it because you surprised me." She cried, face now flushed in embarrassment.

Shinji just grinned at his Lieutenant. "Well maybe if somebody wasn't busy daydreaming then maybe you might of picked up on my spiritual presences." He found it fun to tease this girl, she has had the best facial expression. Like now as her pout turned into a cute frown and eyes that tried to glare in a threatening manner but only made her appear even cuter. "Aw, now do you look cute trying to be all scary and mean." He chuckled, ruffling up her hair some more. He was tempted to tease her some more but was stop by someone clearing their throat.

The two commanders of Squad Five looked at the door to see Rangiku and Hitsugaya standing in the doorway staring at them. Rangiku held a few pieces of paper in her hands and was looking rather amused while Hitsugaya looked very annoyed.

"Are we interrupting something?" the white-haired captain asked, a heavy tone in his voice. You could see his gaze was settle on the hand that was resting on top of his friend's head.

Shinji saw where his gaze was and removed his hand from Momo's head. He had been told of the boy's temper, along with witnessing it on a few occasions and he wasn't in the mood to become a popsicle today.

"Nope," Shinji got to his feet and sat down in his chair, making it do a little spin as he sat in it. "Just a little bonding time between Captain and Lieutenant." He gave them an innocent grin.

Hitsugaya felt his eye twitch at this. "I see..."

"That's so sweet. How come you and I don't have bonding sessions like that Captain? I think we should do it." Rangiku gave him a small pout, her now short hair resting on her shoulders.

Hitsugaya scoffed. "Not likely." He was not in any mood for games. He was here on official business. His eyes cast a glance over in Hinamori's direction, seeing her stand up and offering him a quick smile. Maybe there was a small part that was also there to visit a friend but for the most part he was there on business.

Rangiku frowned at his attitude. "You're no fun," she walked over to Shinji's desk and handed him the papers in her hands. "Sorry if this is late notice but we need your signature on this request that will allow our two squads to do some training sessions together."

Shinji took the papers and read over the request that would have them all working together. He signed off on the papers, raising an eyebrow at the date. "I got no problems with it but you guys are really late with handing this in. The due date for this is tomorrow afternoon at the latest." He handed the forms back before leaning into his chair, one arm propped up so he could rest his cheek on his hand.

Hitsugaya grunted, arms crossed as he stared at his Lieutenant. "We would have had it sooner if someone actually did their job." He sent her a quick glare which caused her to freeze up and send him an apologetic smile.

"Hey, I already said I was sorry and told you the reason why I was so late with getting them here." She told him, hoping to get that glare off her soon. Whenever he gave her that look it made shivers run up and down her spin.

"Since when is you being drunk and hung over an excuse anymore?" he rolled his eyes at this. He had already had this fight with her and frankly he didn't feel like having another one.

"Yeah, but this time I was in hung over in the human world and the remedy Urahara gave me did something to my stomach." She cried, trying to get him to see that it wasn't really her fault for forgetting about her work. Even though it was.

"Yeah, whatever." Hitsugaya didn't care about her excuses anymore. He's had to have heard them all a million times already by now. This caused the woman beside him to become annoyed with his behavior and began to argue once more than this wasn't her fault but Hitsugaya merely drowned her out and shout back a few insults.

"Are they always like this?" Shinji asked Momo who had come to stand beside his desk. She gave a low nod and laughed at the two who were doing their usual back and forth banter. Like many in the Soul Society she was already used to their behavior and found it quite humorous. Shinji and the rest of them who had just returned were still getting used to it. "Whatever. It's none of my concern. Ok, hand me the rest of the paperwork. Once it's finished you can leave." He held his hand out, ready to start signing and looking over the documents that needed his attention. He had forgotten that being a Captain can be so boring. There was way much more paperwork involved that he didn't remember ever doing. He swore they were giving the divisions more on purpose.

"But I already finished all the paperwork," Momo told him, pointing to stack of signed documents that were on the table nearby. "Those are the only ones left and all they need is your final signature and then to be dropped off." Her words caused him and the other two to freeze up.

"You finished up all the work by yourself." He looked at his Lieutenant like she was crazy. There had been at least two stacks in the room, one for each other them to sort through. Both were very detailed and needed to be read through carefully before being filled out. It had thought it would take them the rest of the day to finish both stacks but apparently he was wrong.

"Well your meeting ran longer than you thought and when I took my lunch break and you still hadn't returned I figured I would finish them for you." She said, hands cupped together in a shy manner. She had thought she was doing a good deed but now she wasn't so sure.

It took Shinji a moment to process all this in his head before jumping to his feet and throwing one arm around her shoulders. "Good job," he patted her head and pulled her in close. "Now this is what I call the perfect Captain-Lieutenant relationship."

Meanwhile the two officers of Squad Ten were still there and staring at the two, Hitsugaya looking even more annoyed. He sent a glare over to Rangiku who seemed shock to be receiving a sudden glare before shifting his gaze back to the two hugging officers. He growled when he saw Momo blushing at the attention and his hands balled into fists. Shinji noticed this and grinned. "Now that's not a pretty face you're making there, Captain Hitsugaya. Don't tell me you want Momo as your Lieutenant?" his grin only widened in size when he saw the younger captain blush. "Well too bad cause you can't have her." He spun them around so that his back was facing them and turned his head around to stick out his tongue.

Hitsugaya glared at this, his body now starting to tremble from the anger his felt. "You bastard..." he growled, tempted to pull of his sword and freeze that stupid grin right off his face.

Shinji however was having too much fun messing with the young white-haired Captain to notice his anger or menacing glare. "Since we're done with work for the rest of the day how about we spend some time in the real world for some relaxation."

"The real world?" Momo was stunned to hear this. She had yet to visit the human world and was very curious about it. She's heard so many stories from Rangiku and Renji that she really wanted to visit the place and experience all the things everyone else has.

"Well I for one think that sounds like a great idea," Rangiku added in, a wide grin on her face as she spoke. "In fact I think we should do the same and take the rest of the day off. Don't you think so too, Captain?"

Hitsugaya shifted his glare right back to her and held back the urge to growl but instead frowned instead. "In case you forgot there are piles of work that still need our attention. Perhaps if you actually did your share of the work maybe we could join them but I don't see that happen within this century." He knew his words were cold but they were true. He hated doing paperwork just as everyone else did but he had no choice because there seemed to a never ending supply of them to do. Maybe if Rangiku would help out every now and then perhaps he could take a day off but he doubted that would ever happen. _"Maybe if Momo was my Lieutenant." _He snuck a quick glance at his childhood friend and frowned that her Captain's arm was still around her shoulder.

"Now that was just mean." Rangiku pouted, hand on her hip as she turned her back to him. She was not pleased with the way he was speaking to her today.

"Man, you guys argue like an old married couple." Shinji commented, cleaning his ear out with his pinky finger. He said the comment in a bored tone but it seems to have had an effect on some. Namely Hitsugaya whose face was now light pink and his glare resembling that of an angry dragon.

"Just what the hell kind of nonsense are you spewing!?" he growled, embarrassed that he would even suggest such a thing. There were enough rumors about him and his Lieutenant and he denied each and every one of them. He didn't need a new one spreading. There were many rumors about Captains and Lieutenants of the same division getting together, that was a common thing but he didn't need a new story starting when he just dismissed the other ones.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Rangiku turned back to stare at him, a glare on her face this time. "Are you saying there is something wrong with me? A kid like you would be lucky to marry a gorgeous woman like me."

"Just shut up. This argument is pointless. And who are you calling a kid!" Hitsugaya was getting tired of all this. All he wanted was to get back to his office, finish the work he needed to do and relax for the rest of the night.

Shinji was very amused. He didn't know one simple sentence would cause such an entertaining scene to happen. He went to say another comment but stopped when he noticed the strange expression that was on his Lieutenant. Her face was calm with a soft smile but he saw a look in her eyes that said otherwise. "Well as amusing as this all is we've better get going while the sun is still up. You two can let yourselves out. See ya." He waved off the two officers of the tenth division before using Shunpo and rushing the two of them out of there before yet another argument started up.

Hitsugaya watched them go and scoffed at Shinji's actions. He didn't know why but the man just seemed to like to annoy him and get him angry. "Come on, we've got work to do." He walked towards the door in a calmly fashion, trying to hide his annoyance.

Rangiku saw through his facade right away. "You know Captain Hirako is a good guy. He's not going to do anything to her."

He stopped at the door, hand on the door handle to lock the office up for them. Momo had given a spare key to the office a long time ago and he always kept it on him. "I know that." He locked the door and headed for his office.

"So why do you always seem to be so on edge whenever the two of them go off somewhere?" she didn't understand her Captain sometimes. In the beginning everyone understood why he was keeping a close eye on the new Captain of Squad Five. After everything that happened no one wanted to see Momo go through the pain she had to go through before. But after a while it became clear that Shinji Hirako was a good man, even Momo had accepted him with open arms. So why he was still giving the guy such a hard time didn't make sense to her. A sudden thought crossed her mind, making her point at her Captain in realization."Don't tell me you're jealous!" she grinned when she saw him tense up.

"Like hell I am. Who in their right mind would be jealous of that weirdo." He said, keeping his gaze straight ahead and trying to keep his tone normal. He didn't like what she was suggesting and it was only making him more agitated.

"If you say so," she was very amused with her Captain and his behavior. Now everything about his recent behavior made sense to her. "Just so you know, Momo told me that she doesn't have any of those types of feelings for her new Captain. She certainly respects him and cares for him but nowhere near in a romantic sense."

Hitsugaya didn't reply right away. Instead he let the words sink in and understand there meaning. "I see," he cleared his throat. "That's good to know. I don't want her to make the same mistake she made with Aizen."

"Yeah right," she saw right through him and wasn't falling for his act. She stayed silent for a moment, watching him walk back towards the office of their division. It's been many years since she's known her Captain and while it took a while to get to know the young boy she understands many things about them. One of them being his feelings for his childhood friend. While he tried keeping it quiet from the rest of the world, and for the most part he was succeeding, but he couldn't keep those kinds of secrets from her. It certainly helped that during his naps in the office he would sometimes talk in his sleep about certain subjects. A wide grin spread out onto her face and she had to hold back her laughter as she spoke up again. "Momo may not have any feelings of love for her Captain but that doesn't mean that she doesn't for somebody else. She even told me so herself that there's somebody she likes."

Hitsugaya nearly fell flat on his face when he heard that. His body was frozen and eyes slightly grew in size. He gulped, trying to calm his mind down. He could hear his Lieutenant trying to contain her laughter her from behind him. "Is that so..." he bite down on his lower lip, trying to stay calm and not ask the million questions that were swirling around in his head.

Rangiku wanted to burst out laughing. She knew his reaction would be funny but she didn't think it would be this funny. "That's correct," using Shunpo she jumped onto the rooftop and waved to her Captain. "Now you better hurry up if you want to finish all the work that we have." And with that said she ran off to her division, laughing the whole way.

Hitsugaya watched her go and let out a low growl before shouting out. "Matsumoto!"


	2. Chapter 2

Momo had been to the human world on few separate occasions but all of them were of her killing Hollows or training exercises. None of those times ever involved her getting out of her Shinigami robes. Her Captain had taken her to Urahara's to get some Gigai but it seems that he wasn't too pleased with the clothes he had for her. While he changed back into his old clothes that he wore back when he was hiding in the human world he had insisted on taking her shopping for some new clothes. She honesty didn't mind the old blue dress that Rukia use to wear but she didn't feel like arguing with her Captain so she let him drag her around town. They finally found a nice boutique and he had the saleswomen shove her into the changing room and hand her mountains of clothes. It felt like she had gone on a shopping spree with Rangiku. "Captain, is all this really necessary?" she asked, pulling back the curtain to reveal her wearing a pink Chinese dress. Why he had her try this on she'll never know.

"Hey, when we're in this world just call me, Shinji," he gave her an amused grin before stepping back to review her outfit. It certainly looks nice on you but it unless a festival suddenly pops up I don't think it will work. Try one another one."

Momo couldn't do much more than sigh and change into yet another outfit. Her Captain knew this world better than she did so she might as well do as he says. Closing the curtain she changed out of the kimono and looked around the filled dressing room. There were so many clothes in here it would take forever to pick something out. Honesty when she was told that they would have a relaxing day in the human world she pictured it to be much more relaxed than this. Picking yet another outfit she held it up to herself and looked in the mirror. It was a white shirt with ruffles coming down the center and a long black skirt that looked so tight she wasn't sure if she could even get it on. Putting down the skirt she looked around and found a nice brown skirt that complimented the shirt and her much more. With a smile she put on the outfit she chose, adding a light pink jean jacket and knee high brown boots. Pulling back the curtain she stepped out with a smile, proud of the outfit that she chose.

Shinji looked her over and grinned. "I think we have a winner," taking out a credit card from his pocket he motioned over to the saleswoman and handed her the card. "She'll be wearing this out." He told the woman before turning his attention back to Momo who was checking herself out in the mirror. "You know, you should wear clothes like this more often. I've been telling the old man for years that those old uniforms are getting to be so boring. I mean everyone is always running around, wearing the same exact thing. Sometimes I can't remember who's in my squad and who isn't." he groaned, running one hand through his hair.

Momo giggled. "It would be nice to wear clothes like this every once and a while." She said, a light blush on her cheeks as she stared at herself in the mirror. She liked her robes but she had to admit that wearing clothes like this were really fun and they made her look pretty.

Shinji grinned at her and patted her head. "Yeah, it would be. Especially if it can get the one you like to notice ya." He nudged her and winked. He nearly fell over laughing when he whole face lit up like a Christmas tree. Her whole face was red from the blush she had and her eyes were as wide as plates.

"Captain Hirako!" she couldn't believe he just said that. She did a quick scan of the store, making sure no one heard them. Specifically a certain someone. It was very unlikely that the person they were speaking of would be there but you can never be too careful. That was the last thing she needed. For him to find out and in such a manner. She'd probably die of embarrassment if their conversation somehow reached his ears. She wasn't ready for him to know.

Shinji continued to laugh even as the saleswoman came back to give him his card. He led his Lieutenant out of the store and patted her head in an affectionate manner. "Sorry, but I couldn't help myself. You really do make it too easy to tease you," they started walking again down the street, in his hand was the bag containing her old clothes. "And I told you to call me Shinji when we're in the human world."

Momo didn't reply. She didn't feel like talking to him at the moment. While he may have just been teasing her the subject of her feelings was a touchy subject. It wasn't one she wanted to talk about with people, especially not her Captain who more than once would go out with drinks with Rangiku and spill every secret he had in him. When the man was drunk he tells everyone exactly what's on his mind and that has gotten him in trouble more than once.

"Alright, I'm sorry," he sighed, hands in his pockets. He didn't intend to hurt her feelings but it seems he did and he wasn't the type of guy who would continue to hurt a girl once she was down. "I was just trying to get you to lighten up a bit. You've been so down lately."

She looked at him from the corner of her eye and sighed herself. Maybe it was time to open up with people about her problems. She's been trying to deal with it herself but maybe that wasn't the best idea. She didn't want to be viewed as weak anymore but there were just certain situations where she needed to accept help. "Well I-" She was cut off when her Captain was sent flying down the street and collided with a lamppost. She stood there, shocked and utterly confused. Turning her head to the side she saw her Captain's old friend Hiyori standing beside her, looking annoyed.

"What the hell!" Shinji was on all fours, his body somewhat shaking from the impact his body took and his face set in a frown but all that vanished the moment he saw who kicked him. "Hi-Hiyori!?" he gulped in fear and began to shake again, but this time for a different reason.

The blonde hadn't changed all that much from the war. She still wore the same red track suit and had her hair up in two pigtails. She walked up to Shinji and stared down at his shaking form before taking off her shoe and smacking him right across the face with it. "You dumbass!" she cried, smacking him again for good measures. She huffed, putting her shoe back on and glared down at her old friend whose face was now red and swollen. "Just what kind of stupid shit do you think you're doing now? Coming to the human world and not even telling us. What kind of dumbass Captain are you?!" she cried, now shaking him by the collar of his shirt.

Shinji grabbed her hands, trying to break her hold on him. Or at least get her to stop shaking him. "Would you knock it off. Momo and I were finished for the day with our duties so I figured we take the rest of the day off to relax and enjoy ourselves." He explained, finally getting her to let go and stood back up on his feet.

"Momo?" Hiyori looked back and saw Momo standing behind them, looking confused and slightly scared. "So your this fool's Lieutenant."

Momo quickly snapped to attention and bowed. "Yes, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hiyori." She wanted to show her respects to the woman who had come to help them in the war. She heard the stories of what Aizen had done to her and her friends so she wanted to show the woman some respect. That and because she was scared if she didn't she'd be the one getting hit next.

Hiyori stared at the girl in front of her, her cheeks suddenly turning a light pink. She cleared her throat and looked away. "Yeah, it's good to meet you too." She put her hands on her hips and kept her gaze away. She had always been telling people to show her respect and now that someone was it made her feel embarrassed. Shinji noticed this and snorted which caused the blonde beside him to grown and kick him in the stomach. "Stupid idiot," she mumbled when she saw his unconscious form on the sidewalk. Sighing she dragged him by the collar and started to head back the way she came. "I'll deal with this idiot for now so you can continue to do as you please. If you feel like it you can stop by our place for some food." She said, leaving behind a stunned Hinamori and a crowd that seemed scared to even get near the girl.

Shaking herself out of her stupefied state she looked back and saw that Hiyori and her Captain were already long gone. Letting out a low sigh she started walking, eyes looking at all the different shops. She figured she would check out a few stores before heading back to the Soul Society. It didn't take her long to come across a bookstore and for a smile to come across her face. With a light skip she went into the store and looked in awe at all the books before her. It didn't her very long to pick out the books she wanted. Thankfully she had enough money on her to pay for them. Rangiku had told her that she should always spare money on her as a just in case she ever came to the human world. Bidding the clerk a goodbye she stepped outside the store but collided with someone. She was pushed to the side but luckily kept her balance. "I'm so sorry!" she bowed quickly, hoping to show she meant her apology.

"Yeah, well an apology ain't gonna do it."

Momo paled when she saw who she had bumped into. A guy who looked exactly like a delinquent. He had black hair that was spiked with tons of hair gel, eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses and a scar running along under his chin. He wore a white t-shirt with a black leather jacket, ripped blue jeans and combat boots on him. His two friend behind him sporting the same look only they had their jackets wrapped around their waists and a dark green and red shirt. The one she had bumped into had a stain from the soda he was holding on his shirt. He stared at her and she gulped. "This shirt was expensive."

"I'm so sorry. I promise I'll pay for dry cleaning." She quickly offered, hoping not to cause a fight. She didn't want to cause a scene with them. She was no weakling but she didn't want to hurt them.

The male looked her over and grinned, waltzing over to her and throwing his arm around her shoulder. "I have a better idea. How about instead of cleaning my shirt you help me take it off." He whispered into her ear. She gasped when his lips pressed against her skin and quickly shoved him off. "You bitch, you're gonna regret that!" he charged at her, a knife now in his hand.

Momo readied herself, one hand raised to fight back. She's been enough fights to know how to defend herself without her Zanpakuto.

However she didn't need to defend herself. Before he could come close to her he was kicked away and landed on the ground with a loud thud. His two buddies ran to help him up and glared behind her. "You guys must be pretty pathetic if you're attacking girls with a knife." Momo turned around and looked on in awe when she saw Ichigo Kurosaki standing there.

"You bastard! You want to get your ass kicked?!" the guy from before stood up on his feet, face now bruised from the hit he took.

"Funny, I was about to say the same exact thing," Ichigo stepped in front of Momo, guarding her from another attack and grinned at the three boys before him. "Now come on, who's first." He cracked his neck, showing he was more than ready for a fight.

The three boys didn't say anything. They froze in fear for a moment before taking off running and screaming like the scared little girls they were.

Ichigo watched them go, a look of confusion now on his face. "I didn't think they'd run off that fast." He mumbled. He had been expecting them to put up some kind of a fight or at least some more insults but he certainly didn't think they'd runaway so quickly.

Momo giggled at his confusion. "I wouldn't worry about them too much," she looked up at the orange-haired boy and smiled. "Thank you for saving me."

Ichigo looked down and smiled back. "It's no problem," he stared at the girl for a moment before a look of realization overtook his face. "Aren't you Shinji Hirako's Lieutenant?"

She nodded, "Yes, that's right. I'm Momo Hinamori." She held out her hand for him to shake.

"It's nice to meet you. My name's Ichigo Kurosaki." He shook her hand, adjusting the bags of groceries that she just noticed he held in his hands.

She laughed again, her hand leaving his much larger one. "I know who you are. After all you're pretty famous in the Soul Society."

Her comment made him blush. "Really? Well I mean I wouldn't really say famous," he rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. He had to say in all his time meeting everyone from the Soul Society this girl had to be the nicest. "By the way, is there a reason why you're here?" he asked. He hadn't sensed anything going on so he wasn't sure if it was a Hollow or if she was on a secret mission.

Momo shook her head, dismissing any thoughts of being on a mission. "Actually my Captain suggested that we take some time off and relax in this world since all our duties back home were finished." She told him.

"I see," he nodded. "So where's Shinji now?" he looked around and saw no signs of the blonde haired man.

Momo looked to the side, not really sure how to answer that question. "To be honest I don't really know. Not too long after we arrived he was dragged off somewhere by his old friend, Miss Hiyori."

Ichigo heard this and chuckled. "Poor Shinji, probably getting the snot beat out of him right now," he grinned, already imaging the slap fest that the short blonde was giving to the poor man. "Well if you've got nothing better to do than you can stay with me. I'm just finishing up some shopping with my family but once I'm done I can show you around town." He said, gesturing for her to follow him.

Momo smiled, eyes bright with glee. "I would like that very much," she walked beside him and looked down at the bags he was carrying. "If you like I can carry one of the bags for you. It's the least I can do." He rescued her from a bunch of hoodlums and she wanted to repay him.

Ichigo shook his head, "No way, I couldn't impose on you like that." He was actually surprised, usually when he meets up with someone from the Soul Society, namely Rangiku, they would always make him carry their bags. It was a pleasant change to have someone offer to help him.

"Please, I insist," she reached for a bag but he moved it out of her grasp just before she could grab it. She sent him a quick pout before reaching out again and this time grabbing onto one of the handles. She tried pulling it from him but he wouldn't budge so in the end she gave up and held onto her one end of the handle. "Fine, we can hold it like this. This way I'm still helping you." She told him, holding tight to her end while her other arm held the bags of books that she bought close to her chest.

Ichigo chuckled at her, pleasantly amused with her behavior and grinned. "Sounds good to me."

They walked on, heading back to Ichigo's family and neither noticed the flash of light that came from behind or the chuckling that followed soon after.

**~X~**

Hitsugaya did all he could to hold back his rage but it was hard to do when he was being forced to sit there and go about his everyday life when he just heard from Rangiku that his childhood friend was in love with someone. He frowned instantly at the thought, adding more pressure to his pen that he already held in a tight grip. He sent a glare over to his Lieutenant, who for once was actually doing her work. The paperwork they had to do for the day was nearly completed and if they continued at this rate they would be finished before sunset. It was a nice change of pace, now if only he could enjoy it. But he couldn't because he was driving himself mad with thoughts of who Hinamori could be in love with. Was it someone from her squad? Did he know the person? Were they a good guy? Or was it a girl she liked? He quickly shook his head from those thoughts. He needed to focus, the faster he finished up with his work the quicker he could get to Hinamori and start to ask her about her love interest. He needed to know who she liked so he could hunt them down and make sure they wouldn't hurt her. After all it was his job to protect her so if any guy wanted to be with her they would need to get his approval.

But first they had to prove that they were worthy of being with her and from what he's seen of the men around the Seireitei he doubted any of them could prove their worth. The only way they ever could was if they could show him that they could protect her better than he can. He was a Captain so he doubted anyone he was thinking of would be stronger than he was. Not unless it was another Captain. He banged his head on his desk and growled. His ear twitched when he heard the sound of light laughter from the his Lieutenant and he shot her a mean look."Matsumoto," he called over to her, teeth bared.

"Sorry, Captain but I promised Momo that I would tell anyone about who she liked." She told him, giving him a coy smile and taking a sip of her sake. It's such a shame she never thought of this idea before, it made drinking in the office a lot easier.

"But I'm not just anyone. I'm her childhood friend. I have a right to know who she likes." He called out, standing on his feet and banging his hands on his desk. It probably looked pretty childish but he didn't care. He just had to know. "I need to know..." he mumbled, looking down at the ground for a moment, his eyes dimming for a moment.

Rangiku was surprised to see him behaving this way. She had not been expecting this kind of reaction from him. Setting her cup down she turned in her seat on the couch to get a better look at him. "This really bothers you, doesn't it?"

He didn't want to look at her. He knew what kind of face he was making. It was the same face he always had when Aizen was still around and Momo would follow him around like a lovesick puppy. "I just need to know that I won't lose her." That was his biggest fear. He was well aware of his feelings for her. He's known how he felt about her since their days in Jurinan but he's kept silent because he didn't want to lose the close bond they had. There were so many times he wanted to tell her. When she left for the academy, when she became a Shinigami, or even when she still believed Aizen wasn't a traitor. He wanted to tell her so many times so that she would stop seeing him as a child and view him as a man. A child does not feel the strong feelings that he feels for her that he has had everyday of his life. He knew the likelihood of her loving him back was not in his favor. She saw him as a child, even a little brother figure and he convinced himself he could live with that so long as he can stay by her side. But if she falls for someone else there was a chance she would be taken away from him and he wouldn't be able to handle a world without her with him. He needed her in his life. Even know thinking about her being with someone else and leaving him all alone made him want to cry. Maybe he was still a child if he was throwing such a fit over the mere thought of losing her but he couldn't stop it. He loved her.

Sky blue eyes widen at the sight of her Captain looking so vulnerable. She's never seen him look like this before. _"He's really scared of losing her." _She hadn't realized how much her joking was affecting him. It was obvious there was more to him and his feelings that she didn't know about. "You shouldn't worry so much. Momo isn't the type of person that would abandon somebody she cares for. Especially not someone she's known her whole life," she offered him a kind smile. Reassuring him that no matter how scared he was his fears of her leaving him would never come true. "Besides, when you think about it it's pretty obvious who she likes?" she sent her Captain a wink, hoping this would lighten his mood and put away the fears that he had.

Hitsugaya lifted his head and stared at her. Teal eyes stared into light blue ones, trying to understand the message she was giving him. The look she was giving him said something but he couldn't figure it out. What was he missing? If it was so obvious then why couldn't he figure it out? He had been trying for the last hour but he couldn't think of anybody that she could have feelings for. He thoughts of all her friends and her squad members but he's never heard or seen anything from her that could give away the notion that she liked them. He always made sure to pay special attention to her when she interacted with other guys beside himself. He was always on watch to see if maybe she could have feelings for them but he never saw her behave any differently with them. The only time he drops his guard and doesn't focus all his energy into studying her actions is when she's with him. Whenever the two are alone he can always relax and be himself. He didn't focus on her actions because he was too busy paying attention to what she was either saying or doing with him. He was too busy enjoying the moment. Suddenly it felt like he had just been slapped across the head and his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "Really?" he looked ahead, keeping his gaze on his Lieutenant who was smiling at him. He gulped and felt his cheeks heat up. "Momo, she likes..."

He was cut off by a knock at the door.

Rangiku groaned but answered it. They were right in the middle of having a good moment too. She was hoping by helping him understand Momo's feelings then he would lighten up and find the girl so she could leave the office and go out drinking. "What?" she all but barked, rather annoyed that they were being interrupted. She was looking forward to his facial expressions when he realized the truth.

A member from their squad was at the door and looked slightly scared. "I'm sorry to bother you ma'am but I was ordered to give this to you." He handed her a white envelope and ran off through the barracks.

She watched him go and rolled her eyes at his stupid behavior. Closing the door she turned back to her Captain and nearly fell over laughing at the daze he was in. His cheeks were still a light shade of red while his eyes were clouded over, telling her that he was in a world of his own. She covered her mouth with her hand to stop the laughter that wanted to come out but it was no use, she's never seen him in such a state. Now if only she had a camera. Sitting down on the couch she was ready to finish up the last few papers she had left when she remembered the envelope. "It's addressed to me," she flipped it over and saw on the back who the sender was. "Urahara sent this. But what could he possibly be sending me?" she was kind of scared to open this now. The last time she had seen the man she was hung over and the medicine he gave her had her crying in pain in the Fourth Division. Giving it a quick shake she determined it was not more medicine and carefully opened the letter.

_**"Dear Rangiku, I hope you're feeling better. Sorry about that, Tessai and his medicine can be pretty scary. As an apology I've sent you something that I've think you'll find rather humorous." **_

He signed the letter with a smiling cartoon face of himself giving a peace sign. Sometimes she wondered how such a strange man was once a Captain. She looked back at the envelope and saw that there was something else sticking out of it. "It's a photograph..." she wasn't so sure she wanted to see what he sent her but she couldn't fight her curiosity. Taking the picture she turned it around to see its contents and screamed so loud that it had awoken Hitsugaya from his dream world.

"What's going on!?" he held one hand on the hilt of his Zanpakuto and began to search the room for an enemy. When he saw none he turned his gaze to Rangiku, who was sitting on the couch, holding a picture in her hands and looking quite fearful. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" he walked over to the couch, his hand removed from the sword but still had his guard up. Whatever was sent to her seemed to frighten her and he was worried what it could be.

"It's nothing!" she jumped to get feet, putting the picture behind her when she saw him getting closer. "That stupid Renji just sent me a picture of himself naked. He's such an idiot." She tried laughing it off. Hoping to throw him off before he saw the picture. If he saw it then she had no doubts about the Seireitei entering an ice age.

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow at her and crossed his arms. "Renji did that last year and I remember you laughing in hysterics. Now what are you really looking at?" he was annoyed that she was trying to hide something from him. He didn't like it, he was her Captain so she should show him the upmost respect when it came to matters like this.

Rangiku gulped and backed up. "No!" she couldn't let him see this picture. If he saw it then she had no doubts in her mind that the Seireitei would be entering a ice age. She tried making a break for the door but he was faster than her and snatched the photo out of her hands.

"Honestly," he sighed, the picture now in his hand and looked at her like she was crazy. "Just what is so bad about a stupid picture?" he looked at the photograph and froze. His eyes widened in shock and in dread.

Rangiku saw this and gulped. "Now Captain, I'm sure it's not what it looks like it. I bet Urahara did this as a joke." She tried calming him down but he wasn't listening.

His focus was on the picture in his hand. He saw Momo and Ichigo walking together, holding onto a plastic bag that held groceries and looking very happy with themselves. They looked like a typical couple walking down the street together. His eyes staring at Momo's smiling face, she looked so happy walking with the orange-haired substitute Soul Reaper that it made his blood boil. Most people would probably feel like their whole body had lost all heat and they would go cold but that wasn't the case for him. He was always cold, a sensation he knew very well but what he was feeling now as completely different. He felt holt, boiling with anger and rage. He frowned, teeth bared from his rage and his power became unstable as he froze the walls of his office. He crumpled the picture in his hands, his body shaking and the temperature was dropping by the second.

"Captain, calm down!" Rangiku cried, trying to stop him before he froze the whole building and with everyone in it. She gasped when he turned to her, eyes glaring with such anger. She's never seen him give her such a look before. But there was more to the look than just anger. There was also betrayal. He had allowed himself to believe her words and had hope but now he knew there was no hope and he was enraged. She tried to reach out to him but he was gone before she could even move. She fell to her knees and sighed, eyes looking at the crumpled picture that he had left behind. "That's why I said not to look at it." She sighed once more, staring at the picture and not understanding why this was happening. Momo never once mentioned about having any feelings for Ichigo so why was she with him? This was obviously a big misunderstanding but that one mistake just sent her Captain into a fit of anger and was possibly on his way to the human world to hunt down Ichigo. Standing up she chased after him, determined to stop him before he did something he regretted and hopefully she could get to Momo and have the girl set things right.


	3. Chapter 3

Momo had to admit that she was having a good time. So far Ichigo was a very good guy to hang around, he scared off every creep and pervert that tried coming near her. Apparently he had a reputation for being a skilled fighter in this world as well. She had to say she was very impressed with him. To have your skills acknowledged in not one world but two worlds was incredible and she felt almost a little jealous. Everyone around town seemed to know him and they all seemed very nice, but she couldn't help but notice that they were all staring at them. Actually ever since they started walking together it seemed like everyone's focus was on them. She wondered if the clothes she picked out looked weird. Maybe she stood out more than she thought she did. Feeling all their eyes on her made her feel embarrassed but she tried not to show it.

"Don't let them bother you," Ichigo spoke up after noticing her behavior. He was starting to feel the same way with how much everyone was staring at them. Honestly he didn't understand what they found so fascinating. "If they're staring it just means our lives are much more interesting than theirs are." He gave her a grin, reassuring her that she didn't have anything to worry about.

Momo returned his grin with a smile of her own and walked on, no longer letting everyone's stares bother her.

"Ichigo!"

The two looked ahead to see his father and two sisters were waving to them, standing outside a store. They had more bags in their hands and big smiles on their faces when they saw their lost family member returned. But it didn't take them long to notice Momo with him and the way they were each holding onto the bag.

"Man, what took you so long?" Karin hand her arms crossed but smirked up at her older brother. "Too busy having fun on your date." She chuckled at the sight of the two blushing teenagers.

"Just shut up," Ichigo rolled his eyes. He took the bags he hand and handed them to Karin. "We're not on a date. This is Momo Hinamori, she's from the Soul Society and I've offered to show her around town." He gestured behind him to the raven-haired girl who bowed to his family in respect.

"It's very nice to meet you all." Momo greeted them with a smile. She looked at the two girls who greeted her back and seemed to be staring at her.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Yuzu reached out to shake her hand and offered her a giant smile. "I just love your outfit. You look so cute!" the blonde all but squealed. The girl before her was so pretty and nice and her sense of style was much like hers that it made her giddy. Maybe now she had a shopping partner.

Momo felt her cheeks turn a light shade of pink. "Thank you. I was a little worried that I looked weird but if you like I can show you the shop where I bought them from." She offered, wanting to show them kindness and respect.

Yuzu cheered, "That would be great." She reached forward and hugged the girl.

Karin watched the girl her twin sister was hugging and raised an eyebrow. "Momo Hinamori...?" she mumbled under her breath, staring even more at the young girl. "This may sound weird but do I know you from somewhere?"

Momo looked at Karin and shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I don't usually travel to the World of The Living so I don't believe we've ever meet."

"Why? Is something wrong, Karin?" Yuzu asked, wondering what her sister was doing. She was used to her sister having abilities of seeing spirit so to her things like this were normal to her. Meeting people that she didn't know but her sister already did.

"It's just that I swear I've heard your name before." Karin frowned, trying to figure out why her name sounded so familiar to her. It was true that this was the first time meeting each other but she swears that she's heard the girl's name before. She just couldn't remember when.

Yuzu cocked her head to the side as she looked at her twin. "Well that's really weird."

"Speaking of weird, where's dad." Ichigo stepped in, noticing that their father was nowhere in sight.

"Ichigo!" no sooner did he ask did his father appear. The man was behind him, ready to jump his son but before he could even touch him he was kicked in the head and sent flying into a wall. Karin and Yuzu watched in amusement while Momo stood in shock. This would be the second time today that she's seen people jumping out of nowhere and get sent flying.

"You crazy old man! Haven't I told you to stop doing that?!" Ichigo yelled, one fist raised in annoyance. He swore his father got crazier with every passing day.

Isshin jumped to his feet and showed no signs of injuries at all. He laughed loudly and patted his son on the back. "Just making sure that you're always ready for anything. After all it's a father's duty to make sure his child is safe and prepared."

"How the hell is sneaking up on me keeping me safe?!" Ichigo yelled once more, not seeing the logic in his father's nonsense.

Isshin merely waved him off. "You're still in the prime of your youth so you'll never understand. Once you've live your life and have children of your own then you'll understand the trails of fatherhood!" he boasted out, hands on his hip and trying to look cool but it only made the people around them go out of their way to avoid him. He opened his mouth to give his family another life lesson but he stopped when he noticed Momo standing beside his son and looking positively confused. "Lieutenant Hinamori?"

Momo shook her head clear when she heard someone calling her name and looked up at Ichigo's father. She stared at him for a few minutes before gasping in realization. "Captain Shiba!?" she jumped back in shock, pointing at the former Captain of the Tenth Division.

"You know my dad, Momo?" Ichigo asked, confused by the girl's reaction. He knew of his father's past as a Captain but there was still a lot that he didn't know about.

She nodded, eyes looking at Isshin. "He was Shiro-Chan's Captain twenty years ago."

Isshin laughed at this, smiling down at the young girl. "Oh man, it's been a while since I heard that nickname for the boy. I remember how annoyed he would always get whenever you would call him that when you would stop by and visit. It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you as well. I'm sure if Shiro-Chan was here he would say the same thing." She told the man. When he disappeared it had caused a giant uproar in the Soul Society and everyone was worried for the missing man. Hitsugaya didn't show it but she could tell that even he was really worried. On the day it was announced that Isshin Shiba was dead and that Hitsugaya would become Captain she had spent the day with her old friend, taking him away from the Soul Society and letting him spend his day peacefully where he could be himself and release the pent up feelings he had built up inside himself.

"So tell me how is young Shiro doing? Urahara tells me that he's the Captain of my old division." Isshin asked, interested in learning about his old third seat.

Momo nodded, "He's doing well. Everyone in the division respects him and he is highly regarded by the other Captains."

"I see," Isshin was pleased to hear this. He had to admit he had been a little worried about how he would be treated as being Captain because of his young age. He was glad to hear that the boy was doing well. "So tell me has the boy grown any taller since I left?" he asked with a grin. This was a subject that he would always be curious about.

Momo shook her head, giggling softy. "Not an inch." This caused Isshin to fall down on the sidewalk in a fit of laughter. He held his stomach as he rolled on the floor and would have continued had Ichigo not kicked his father in the head to stop his foolish behavior.

"You stupid old man. I told you to stop acting like a weirdo in public." Ichigo sometimes couldn't believe that this man was his father.

Isshin jumped back to his feet instantly. "Hey, show some respect for your father." He got right in his son's face to yell.

Ichigo yelled right back. "How the hell can I when you're acting like a crazy person?!"

"I'm expressing myself as the true man that I am."

"Then go ahead and act like that but don't blame me when you get arrested for disturbing the peace!"

"I'd like to see them try!"

"So would I!"

The two men of the Kurosaki family went back and forth at each other, yelling and screaming insults at one another. They were causing an even bigger scene then before and practically everyone in town was avoiding them now. Karin and Yuzu watched on, already used to their behavior but Momo stood back in confusion and shock. She's never seen a father and son act like this before.

"Do they always do this?" she asked the two girls, pointing at the fighting boys and sweat dropped when she saw that they started to brawl.

"Every day." Yuzu answered her with a big smile which only made Momo even more confused.

"You get used to it," Karin crossed her arms and looked at her family in with a bored expression on her face. "Honesty I wouldn't let it get to you. It's better to just ignore them." She said taking out her phone and began checking her email.

Momo was at a lost. Now what was she supposed to do? She's used to the Toshiro and Rangiku bickering but it's never gone up to the level Ichigo and his father were fighting at. _"I wonder what Captain Hirako is doing?" _

_**~X~**_

"Dumbass!"

"Crazy!"

"Dumbass monkey face!"  
"Crazy old hag!"

Shinji and Hiyori were standing in the middle of their old home, their friends all surrounding them and watching them bicker and fight. They were even timing them to see how long this fight would last.

_**~X~**_

Momo sighed, checking her watch and looked back over at the fighting father and son. It had already been fifteen minutes since they started and she had long since gotten over her shock of seeing them fight like they were. Now she was just bored and wanted something else to happen. "How much longer do you think they'll keep this up?" she asked, bored from just standing there and doing nothing.

Karin shrugged, her focus was on her cell phone and the game she was playing on it. "Who knows. They're longest time fighting is two hours."

"Although this doesn't look like one of those fights." Yuzu added in, playing on her own cell phone but she was looking up new cooking recipes.

Momo could only let out another sigh as she turned her attention back to the bickering father and son. _"Maybe I should contact Captain Hirako. I don't really know this world so well so maybe I can meet up with him before heading back." _she began typing a message to her Captain when her phone went off, signaling she had a new message. "It's from Rangiku." She closed out her message for her Captain and went to open the mail from her friend.

"Maybe she sending you a picture of her boobs?"

Hinamori nearly jumped out of her skin when Isshin Kurosaki was suddenly behind her and looking over her shoulder. She slammed her phone shut and backed away from the man that just scared her. Her face blushing from his comment.

Isshin saw this look and just laughed. "Hey, it makes sense. Her boobs are like the perfect combination of size, roundness, and firmness. If I was her I would be taking pictures and sending them to all my friends so they could be jealous of the glorious mounds that they are."

"You perverted old man!" Ichigo kicked his father in the head, face red from not only his frustrations but embarrassment that his father would ever say such a thing. "Come on, Momo. We're outta here." He pulled the girl by her hand and headed down the street to get away from his crazy family before something else happen.

Isshin jumped back to his feet instantly and called out to the twos. "Show some more respect for you father!" he yelled, waving his fast at his son who was completely ignoring him." Momo, don't be fooled! He may be a smooth talker but he's an idiot when it comes to the ladies. Besides we wouldn't want Toshiro to get jealous of you two being together." His cries weren't heard as Ichigo began to run to get them even further away from his father and his the embarrassing words he was screaming out.

Karin snapped back to attention when she heard her father mention that name. "Toshiro?" she looked up at her father and then back at Momo. Eyes slightly wide as her mind started to piece everything together.

"Yeah, that girl and Toshiro are childhood friends. They grew up together and have been by each other's side since," he told his daughter, arms crossed as he thought of his old third seat that was now the Captain of the Tenth Division. "Although I always thought their relationship was much more than that. Especially with how Hitsugaya would behave around the girl."

Now Yuzu was curious. "How would he act?" she just loved hearing about people and their loved life.

Isshin grinned. "He always had this cold attitude that it even made your old man wary of him. But the moment Momo Hinamori would walk in the room it was like summer had just come and blew away the winter storm. The kid would act kinder when she was around and the two would meet up to eat watermelon and watch the sunset. It was such a sweet thing to watch. A young budding romantic between to childhood friends bloom into a hot fiery passionate lovers affair!"

"Is that so...?" Karin had long stopped listening to her father and was now focusing on her brother and the raven-haired girl he was walking away with. Taking out her phone she snapped a picture of them walking down the street together, holding hands. Putting her phone in her pocket she gathered the groceries and began to head home, Yuzu following close behind and left their father in the middle of the sidewalk to talk to himself. It wasn't until a crowd started to gather did he realize he was alone and rushed after his children, calling after them.

_**~X~**_

Hitsugaya sent anyone who dared to walk by him an icy glare. He had just arrived in the human world and was on the hunt for Ichigo and Hinamori. The image of them in that picture popped up in his mind and it had him growling like a rabid dog. He was fooled into thinking that Hinamori was in love with him and now he was on a rampage like an angry dragon terrorizing a town for stealing his gold. He hadn't even been aware that the two were close but somehow Kurosaki got past his defensives and he was angry. Any respect he had for the orange-haired man went away once he saw the picture of him sharing a moment with his childhood friend. It wasn't fair that someone who just suddenly appeared in their life got to be with her like that when he's been dreaming about it for years. The picture portrayed them as the happy couple that were so love they forgotten about the rest of the world. It enraged him thinking of Momo acting that way with someone other than him. He had no claim over her, he hadn't even told her his feelings, but he had taken every precaution to ensure that any man who tried to romance her would have to face him. So far his attempts had all been successful but somehow he had gotten through and snatched away Hinamori. _"Kurosaki, when I get my hands on you..." _his hands that were already balled into fists tightened as he thought of ways to torture the Shinigami male. In his jealous state he was not in control or aware that he was freezing areas as he walked past. Bushes, street signs, and parts of the sidewalk began to get covered in ice and snow as he walked by. Everyone on the street that day made sure to avoid him and scrambled out of his way if they got to close.

The only one brave enough to get close was Rangiku but even she kept her distance. From the moment they entered this world he started freezing everything that was within inches of him and she made sure to keep out of his range. _"The Captain's really upset," _she took out of her phone, typing in yet another message to her friend in hopes of warning her of what was coming their way. Hitsugaya was able to sense Hinamori's reiatsu the moment they stepped foot in the human world and he was hot on their trail. _"Why isn't she answering?" _now she was starting to get worried. She knew for a fact that Momo held no romantic feelings for Ichigo and she was sure that picture was one big misunderstanding but with the way things were turning out she wasn't so sure that her Captain wouldn't release a giant ice storm once he caught of the two. She followed behind her Captain, making sure that he didn't accidentally freeze someone over. She was so busy focusing on him that she didn't stop once to check out a store or look at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a purple tank top that showed off her breasts nicely, white jeans that clung to her legs with a heart belt and black heels. Her Captain wearing a black long sleeve shirt with chains on the front and plain blue jeans and black sneakers. For once she was not tiring to stick out or draw attention to herself but sadly they were. With the angry aura he was producing she wouldn't be surprised if someone called the police on them.

"You know for someone who claims he's not a kid you sure are acting like one."

Rangiku froze in her spot when those words were spoken and a look of fear came onto her face when she felt the temperature around them drop even more. She quickly spun around to face the fool brave enough to say that to her Captain and was surprised to see Ichigo's sister Karin standing there. "Look here, the Captain has no time to play any games today. He's really-!" she never got to finish her sentence because of an icy wind that blew by, making her shiver as she slowly turned around to face the white-haired man who, if even possible, looked even angrier than before.

"You better have a good reason for bothering me." He all but growled out. He was in no mood for games, especially not from the younger sister of the man he was planning to freeze over the moment he saw him.

Karin was taken aback by his attitude. She's only met with him a few times and while his attitude was never warm or friendly it was never this bad before. "I just wanted to say that if you're looking for Ichigo and that girl he was with, you just missed them." She took out her phone to show them the picture she had taken earlier of Ichigo dragging Hinamori off.

Hitsugaya saw this picture and his reiatsu rose even further, as did his anger. "Kurosaki...!" he growled, his body trembling from the anger he was keeping in and waiting to unleash onto the unsuspecting male.

Rangiku pushed the young girl back and away from the angry man. While she can use her powers to deflect the ice enough that she didn't get frozen this girl was still human and didn't know how to defend herself from the ice. "You just had to show him that picture." She sighed, wishing she had someone else to come with her. Watching the young man by herself and trying to keep him from freezing everything and everyone in sight.

Karin didn't pay attention to what Rangiku was saying. Her focus was on Hitsugaya and the look he held on his face when she showed him the picture. "Is she your girlfriend?" her question caught them both by surprise. "I heard you guys grew up together. So does that mean you guys are dating?"

Hitsugaya looked at her, his anger still there but he was no longer expressing as wildly as he was before. "No, she's not my girlfriend." He spoke in a low term, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he looked off to the side. The atmosphere around him had calmed down but there was still a chill in the air. His eyes glazed over as he thought of the situation he was in and how stupid he must look right now. He was behaving like a spoiled little kid who was upset for having his favorite toy taken away. If he could have he would have laughed at himself but no matter how he tried he couldn't feel anything but anger and fear. He had been planning on unleashing his anger out on Ichigo but if Momo really did like him then could he really bring himself to hurt her...again.

"If she's not your girlfriend then why are you so upset that she's with my brother?" Karin asked, wanting him to give her a full explanation. She had a good idea why he was behaving that way but she needed to hear the words from his mouth.

He didn't reply right away. Instead he thought over her words and his reasoning for coming here. Was it because he was jealous? Yes, that was part of the reason but there had to be more to it than that. To get so worked up and upset just because he was jealous was going way beyond that of childish behavior. He always told himself that if Momo loved somebody he would be content with just staying by her side. All he wanted was for her to be happy and if that wasn't with him than he would accept that. But could he really accept her loving another man? Here he was chasing down Ichigo all because of a picture that could very well be used as a trap from their enemy or just a stupid prank to get him upset. He didn't even know what Momo's feelings for the orange-haired man was but he let his emotions take over and block his mind. When Rangiku first mentioned that Momo might have been in love with him was the happiest moment of his life because for a second the wish he had been hiding deep inside him had come true. He wanted her. He wanted her to be happy but he wanted her to be happy with him. He said he would accept her loving another man but now he knows he can't. He loves her too much to just let her go. "I love her," he faced the two girls, a calm look on his face as he spoke of the one he loved. "I love her and I don't want her to be taken away from me." There was his reason for behaving like this. He was a man in love and he didn't want her to be with another man when she should be with him. She's been by his side since day one and he wanted to keep it that way. _"And I'll be damned if I let someone else come between us." _He glared, thinking of Ichigo and the pictures he saw of the two of them together. The wind started to pick up again and whirlwinds of snow flew around him. He was now a man on a mission. Once he found the two he would show Momo that he was the one she was meant to be with. He walked off, picking up on their spiritual pressure once more. His eyes burned with a determination that you would expect to see on a solider going off to war.

Karin watched him go, amazed by his determination and by the confession he just gave him. "He really loves her."

Rangiku nodded, a soft smile on her face. "He does," she watched her Captain go and was no longer feeling afraid of him or the winter storm he was producing as he walked on. "He has all his life. Honestly I'm kind of glad this whole mess happened. It's given him the courage to confess." She looked down at Karin who was staring at her feet. The blonde chuckled and knew instantly what was wrong with the girl. "I know it hurts now but don't worry you'll get over it and meet the right guy soon enough."

Karin just rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I know that. Besides it was just a crush." She walked off, her head held up high as she went to catch up with her family. "Not like the guy ever noticed." She mumbled under her breath, taking off in a run before she let herself think too much about what just happened.

Rangiku watched her go and smiled to herself once more. "She does have a point. He never did notice that she liked him. Then again he hasn't noticed anyone else either," she laughed, thinking of all the fan mail and letters from the few who tried to profess their feelings to her Captain. He never read them or paid any attention to them. "He only has eyes for one girl." No matter who came to him to confess he never took notice because his heart was already set on one person and one person only.


	4. Chapter 4

Ichigo picked up his cup of coffee, blowing softy to cool down the hot beverage. He held the cup to his mouth when both he and Momo felt the rise of spiritual pressure and the anger that was flowing with it. He whistled in shock, his gazelooking out the window for a moment. "Feels like Toshiro is in a really bad mood." He said, taking a sip of his drink. "I wonder what Rangiku did this time."

Momo sat across from him, a melon soda and a slice of strawberry cake in front of her. "She probably snuck out to do some shopping." She giggled, already thinking of the yelling fit her old friend would have and the excuse Rangiku would use to try and escape his anger.

"That woman really needs to learn not to piss the little guy off so much." He noticed that the young Captain's spirit pressure was slowly heading their way. Strangely he didn't sense Rangiku's reiatsu at all. Although it was entirely possible that she was masking it to avoid being found. They were in the shopping district so they might see her if they walk around enough. Maybe they should warn her to go back before a sudden snow storm hit their town.

"I'd be careful saying that if I was you," Momo sent him a playful smile. "Shiro-Chan really hates it when people mention his height. He doesn't even let me say anything."

Ichigo took note of that. "I guess he's more sensitive about the subject than I thought."

"He hates to be viewed as a child and wants everyone to respect him as Captain." She told him, taking a bite of her cake and beamed at the wonderful taste. They didn't have sweets like this in the Seireitei. She made a mental note to come to the human world more often.

"So is that why he's always so serious? Because he wants everyone to treat him as an adult instead of a kid?" he asked, interested in learning more about the young Captain. Maybe if he knew more about him he'd avoid setting off the boy's temper.

"He's been that way ever since we were little," she got a faraway look in her eyes as she remembered her past and the one she spent it with. All the happy times they spent together and the wonderful life they had before she went to the academy. At the time she didn't view as anything to special, she knew it would change her future but it did so much more than that. It was there that she meant the man who would slowly destroy her mind and nearly ruined her friendship with the person she cared for the most.

Ichigo looked at the girl, seeing the glazed over look in her eyes and smiled. "I take it you guys are really close." He doesn't know much about the girl or even about the white-haired Captain but he can already tell that they have a strong bond. Just from the ways he keeps referring to the young Captain by that nickname that he found absolutely hilarious.

She nodded. "Yes, we've been together from the start." She looked down at her reflection in her drink, a forlorn look on her face as she remembered the events of the past. "Even though we've always been together I still doubted him and even drew my sword at him. I accused him of a terrible crime when I knew deep down that he would never do such a thing," Just as he still felt guilty for hurting her in the war she still felt ashamed for drawing her sword at him. His actions were unintentional, he had been tricked into hurting her while she had been fully conscious of what she was doing. In her eyes her actions were far more worse than his was. "I doubted him and blindly followed after the words of a man that was never there. They were all just empty words but I still listened to every one he said and followed his commands without so much as a second thought. And because of my of stupidity Toshiro got hurt and now he can't even look at me properly without turning away in regret. He probably wishes he had never met me." She was crying by this point, tears streaming from her eyes as she placed her hands over her face to try and block out her cries. It seemed like she was always doing this. She couldn't do anything but stand on the sidelines and cry.

Ichigo watched the girl, his own anger boiling when he thought of Aizen and what he had put this girl through. But it hadn't just been her who had fallen for his spell and everyone had been affected the same way. He had seen it the day of the battle, the anger and hate that was in everyone's eyes as they battled Aizen. The man who betrayed their trust and made them all look like fools when they attacked a member of their own. "You know for someone who says she grew up with Toshiro she's pretty stupid." He told her straight out, leaning back against the soft cushion of the booth he was in and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched the girl from across the table. Momo gasped in shock and stared at him with wide eyes that were still filled with tears but at least she had stopped crying. "You keep saying he must hate you when it's obvious that he doesn't hold any ill feeling against you. In fact I would say that he really likes you. I'd even go as far as saying that he loves you."

She nearly fell out of her seat. Her face glowing like a cherry, hands gripping her skirt with such a force she was sure it would rip but she couldn't even begin to focus on such a trivial thing. _"Toshiro loves me?!"_ Her mind was spinning, so many thoughts and emotions were flowing through her that it felt like she would overload and crash. For a moment she lost control of her power and her strawberry cake was set on fire. Ichigo cried out in shock, dumping his coffee on the cake but all that did was make the flame worse. Momo finally snapped out of her daze and quickly put out the fire that she caused. Now everyone in the cafe was looking at them, staring at them like they were crazy. Some of the workers were starting to head their way and none of them looked pleased. "Run." Ichigo whispered, grabbing her hand and pulled her out of the cafe. She struggled for a moment to keep up, her eyes looking up at his running figure as they raced down the street. His eyes wide with worry that someone would chase after them but she didn't feel any of that. In fact she felt so light and happy that she couldn't help but laugh at the situation they were in. Ichigo looked down at her, a little confused at why she suddenly started laughing but he found her laughter contagious and began to laugh just as loud. The two of them ran down the street, running together and laughing their heads off.

_**~X~**_

The two laughing Shinigamis ran down the street laughing and were completely unaware of the menacing teal eyes that were watching their every move. Hitsugaya had finally tracked them down in the cafe and bitterly watched everything they did in the small store. Not that he had much of a choice. Just as he had found them he was ambushed by Urahara and Yoruichi, the latter typing him up and forced him to watch as the woman he loved interacted with another man. Rangiku stayed in the back, not wanting to be anywhere near her enraged Captain or have him turn his anger on her.

He had been furious with the two and vowed to freeze them over and leave them like that for the next hundred years but his anger was once more directed to Ichigo when he saw Hinamori start to cry. The white sash wrapped around his small body, only his feet and top half of his head were visible, everything from his mouth to his ankles were covered and tied up. He struggled to break free from his bindings, the sash that held him was slowly freezing over and he almost broke free when he saw Ichigo drag her out of the store and the two went running down the street and laughing in utter joy. Now he just laid there, in a daze and trying to gain his bearing. Was he doing the right thing but chasing after them when it was obvious that Hinamori was so happy? Didn't he vow to do all he could to make sure that she was always smiling? But it wasn't fair to him if he was forced to just stand on the sidelines and watch her be happy with another man, again. No, he promised himself after Aizen that once she was well again and their relationship was back to what it had been he would confess. He wanted, needed, her to know how much she meant to him

"Wow, who knew Ichigo had such a way with the ladies." Urahara whistled in shock and amusement.

"I know. He's really showing the girl a good time," Yoruichi added in, an amused grin on her face as she and her old friend watched everything from the alley they were hiding in. "So when do you think they'll kiss?" she asked, her grin growing twice the size it was before.

Urahara held the same amused grin on his face but his was hidden behind his fan. "I'd say by the end of the day, just as the sun is about to set." He chuckled, enjoying the events that were taking place.

Rangiku sighed, running one hand through her wavy hair. "I knew calling them was a mistake." She had started to get worried when they were getting closer to Ichigo and Hinamori so she called them to help her out but it seems like they came for their own amusement instead. She shivered when she felt the wind pick up, rubbing her hands up and down to generate heat. The sun was still out but she could it was just starting to set and night would soon come. She sent a quick glance to her Captain, she wanted to make sure that he could still breathe, but froze in terror at the murderous aura he was producing. She took a step back, trying to call for the two but all that was coming from her were small squeaks of fear.

_"Kiss..." _Hitsugaya's stopped his struggles the moment he heard that word. He knew what it mean and who they were talking about. He was unnaturally still, his power leaking out to cause a menacing aura to form around his body. His whole body was tense and his anger growing by the second as that one little word continued to bounce around inside his head, repeating itself over and over again until he felt himself going slowly insane. _"Kiss...Ichigo kissing Momo...kiss...kiss...kissing sunset...kiss..." _he didn't know why his mind did this but he had picture the two of them, standing closely together as their bodies were pressed together. Ichigo holding her face in his hands as he leaned down to kiss the sweet lips of Momo Hinamori. The same lips that would call him that dreaded nickname. The same lips that always were upright in that perfect smile of hers. The same lips that would call out his name whenever she was lonely or sad or just wanted to spend with. The very same lips he's been dreaming about kissing ever since he fell in love with her. With a cry that sounded very close to the roar of a dragon he ripped out of his bindings and stood tall on his own two feet, deep breathes escaping his frowning lips. His hands at his side were balled into tight fists and the area around him began to freeze over in ice and snow. Without so much as a word he stalked off, growling softly and leaving behind a thin layer of ice as he walked.

Rangiku just stood there, she was motionless and completely shocked. And somewhat fearful. _"The Captain's finally lost it!" _she wanted to cry. She loved teasing the young boy the most out of everyone in the Soul Society but she knew he had limits and she never went over the boundaries that he had set for himself. But now those limits were broken and he was a mad man who was on the hunt for the one he deemed to be his enemy by trying to take away the person he loved the most.

"Oh my," Urahara fanned himself, his eyes hidden in the shadows from his hat as he watched the young man go. "It would appear that Captain Hitsugaya had quite the temper." He held his fan over his face but everyone could tell he was grinning behind the white paper.

Yoruichi just chuckled and leaned against the alley wall. "I hope Ichigo can handle the fury of a jealous man in love."

The two old friends just laughed, following after the white-haired man and hoping for a good show. Rangiku went with them. Now she was really wishing she hadn't called them for help. _"Is it too late to go back to division and start doing work?" _she'd rather do a whole month supply of paperwork than to be in the situation she was in now. While it was indeed amusing she knew with how angry her Captain was things wouldn't end well when he finally reached Ichigo and Hinamori.

_**~X~**_

Momo panted as she and Ichigo had finally stopped running and were now catching their breathe. They were both grinning and a few short chuckles would escape them every now and then. "I never got the chance to thank you."

Ichigo just waved her off. "No worries. It was my fault for distracting you like that. Besides I couldn't just leave you there."

She shook her head. "No, I mean what you said to me. I needed to hear it," she leaned against the wall, looking up at the sky with wide and cheerful eyes. "Ever since the war everyone has been careful around me. They don't want to say anything that could upset me or make me remember the pain that Aizen caused me. They're all hoping if they avoid the subject enough I'll forget all about it and go back to how I used to be before," she placed a hand over her chest, where she had been stabbed not once but twice. Once by the man she had worshipped and once by the person she considered to be her closest friend. "But I don't want to forget. I don't want to forget about the pain because then I'll be the same girl who blindly follows others without ever thinking for myself. I want to be my own person and to do that I need to remember the mistakes I made so I don't make them again." That was what she wanted most in this world. She never wanted to repeat the same mistake she did when she still believed that Aizen was a good man. She wanted to change and become and even better Shinigami, but more than that she wanted to become and even better person.

Ichigo smiled down at the girl, a proud glint in his eyes as she told him this. "I'm sure you'll be able too. " he held no doubt in his mind that she would accomplish her goal. She would become the person she wanted to be and he was sure everyone would proudly stand by her side as she changed into her new self.

She smiled up at him, happy to hear that he believed in her and didn't think her idea was silly. "Thanks, but I'm not even sure where to begin." That was the main reason she was in such a slump. She's been trying for weeks now how to figure out how to change herself or at least start it off but so far she's hasn't been able to come up with a single idea. She sighed, causing some hair to fall in her eyes. With ease she was able to push the few hairs back into place.

Ichigo saw this and he beamed as an idea hit him. "A haircut," he grinned when he saw her look up at him in confusion. "I don't know about you guys in the Soul Society but around here when someone wants a fresh start they usually get a haircut. It's to like show themselves off as a new person."

"A hair cut?" she fiddled with the soft raven locks that made up her bangs. She hasn't had a haircut in years, the most she ever does is trim the ends to keep her hair healthy. She's been wearing her hair in the same style for years but she wanted to change and she rather liked the idea of supporting a new image for herself. "Sounds good." She agreed and Ichigo led her to the local salon that his two sisters go too. From there Momo told the woman that she wanted a change and to let her go wild with her hair. Now she was sitting in the chair, a cloth wrapped around her body as she watched the woman pick up a pair of scissor. They had already took her hair out of the bun and washed it with a shampoo that smelled a lot like kiwis and lemon. She gulped and watched as the first piece of hair was cut off and fell to the ground. She had to admit that she was a little nervous. She hadn't really given the woman a proper look to do, instead she just told her she wanted something different and sat in the chair. But she wouldn't back down. This was what she wanted and this is what she would do to become the person she wanted to be. She sent a sideways glance to Ichigo who was sitting in front of the store, reading a magazine. As if sensing her eyes on him he looked up and smiled and waved at her. She returned his smile with one of her own and went back to looking around the salon. The woman had made sure that she wouldn't be able to look in a mirror until she was finished. So she closed her eyes and waited for the woman to finish. Her mind slowly taking her back to when she first decided to change.

_**~X~**_

_Her body felt like it was made of lead, it was nearly impossible for her to move anything without some kind of struggle or wave of pain to go through her. It was even painful to breath. Her eyes were closed but she used her ears to listen and focus on her surroundings. The beeping of machines was one she was all to familiar with and knew that she was in the Squad Four Barracks. With the little energy that she had she opened her heavy eyes and looked around the darken room. The only light in the room was the light of the full moon that shined down onto her from the open window. She could feel the cool night breeze brush against her face, the only part of her body that wasn't wrapped in bandages or covered by wires or blankets. She sighed, wondering how long she had been asleep this time. Looking away from the window she closed her eyes to go back to sleep but they shot right back open she heard it. The soft sound of a snore right beside her. Even over the beeping machines she could hear the sound clear as day. She tried moving her head to see who else was in the room with her but found it hurt too much to even do that. So she settled for moving her gaze to look and see who was sleeping. _

_She was surprised to see the sleeping form to her childhood friend, Toshiro Hitsugaya. His head was resting in his arms, his face was facing her but his usual fierce and always serious teal eyes were hidden behind his closed lids. His mouth slightly open to let out the soft snores and let her know that despite sitting in a small chair he was content in sleep. She smiled, seeing him like this remembered her so much of their time together and she wanted to laugh. Only when she tried to a shot of pain erupted through her body and made her let out a pained cough instead of a cheerful laugh. _

_That was all it took for Hitsugaya to wake up. His eyes flew open and he was on his feet in no time, doing a quick scan of the room before settling down to look at the girl on the bed. He was frozen in shock as he stared into her brown eyes. He just stood there, watching her and hoping that this was not yet another dream of her waking up. He's had theme every night ever since she was first put in this place and the disappointment he had whenever he woke up to find that it was not true made his already heavy heart even heavier. He continued to stare, he wanted to do more but he was frozen. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her how happy he was that she had woken up but he was afraid. He was the one who put her in here. It was because of his sword that she almost died. What if she looked at him like he was some kind of monster? What if she never wanted to speak to him again? What if she hated him? He stopped the tears that wanted to form when he thought of her hating him but it was entirely possible and he would just accept it if it were true. He would do whatever she wanted. Even if she wanted nothing more to do with him he would listen to her without any complaint. He would do anything to make her happy, even if it meant he couldn't be part of her life anymore. _

_So he waited for her to make the first move but instead of hate filled words or eyes full of fear she offered him up a smile. It was weak and tired smile but it was all he needed to know that she cared for him. That she still wanted him to be part of her life. _

_Momo was shocked when he fell on top of her. His arms wrapping around his fragile body in a strong yet gentle hold. She wanted to ask him what was wrong but before she could even open her mouth she was stopped by the soft whimpers that were coming from the boy. His entire body was shaking as he cried into her shoulder. The whimpers were soft, barely audible but she heard them clear as day and it broke her heart. The boy has only ever cried once in front of her and that was the day he found his Zanpakuto and told her the terrible details of what happened to his friend that he made in the academy. She wanted to cry tears of her own when she heard her best friend crying over her. She could already tell that he blamed himself for hurting her and while she didn't know all the details as to why he and the other Captains attacked her she felt no anger or hate towards him. She didn't place any blame on him because she knew he would never hurt her. She knows of his vow, the one he made to always protect her. She's known about it since day one but has kept quiet to not embarrass the boy. _

_She held back her own tears, no matter how badly she wanted to cry she wouldn't let herself. Ignoring the pain she felt she rested on hand in his soft white locks and ran her fingers through his hair. "Shiro-chan." She called to him, saying that nickname she knew he hated but she could see there was a part of him that liked it. After all it was what she first called him when the two met. He continued to cry into her shoulder but the tears began to lessen and his whimpers were starting to die out. He was calming himself down and while she was glad she was also worried. For someone like him to break down crying made her heart break in shame. This was all her fault. If she had been stronger or faster or if she hadn't been fooled by Aizen then maybe her best friend wouldn't be like this. _

_"I want to change." She thought to herself when he pulled away from her, his tears no longer falling but his eyes were red and so were his cheeks. She continued to smile at the boy and this time she was the one to make a vow. She vowed to change so that she would never have to see him looking so sad ever again. _

_**~X~**_

"Ok, sweetie. We're all finished." The woman took off the cloth and spun her around so that she could see her new hair.

Her hair that was once shoulder length now hung in a bob, the tips just reaching her cheeks. She got up from her seat to look at herself better in the mirror. It was a drastic change from her style before but that's exactly what she wanted. "I like it." She truly did. With a bright smile she paid for her haircut and walked out of the salon with Ichigo and looked up at the sky with hopeful eyes. This was just the start of her change and she was excited. She was finally on her way to fulfilling her promise.

"Kurosaki!"

The two stopped in their tracks when they heard the roaring calls and turned around to see a fuming Toshiro Hitsugaya coming their way.


End file.
